" The Black Megachurch: Theology, Gender, and the Politics of Public Engagement"

Tamelyn Tucker-Worgs specializes in American Politics, Race and Politics, African American Religion, Public Policy, Gender and Politics, and Urban Politics. Her work is interdisciplinary and her courses include the Politics of the Black Church, Black Theology, African American Politics, and Women and Politics. Her current research focuses on the black megachurch phenomenon and faith-based community development. Her publications focus on the black church and politics, megachurch-based community development and black women's contemporary political activism.

An explosion of flourishing black megachurches has changed the landscape of American religious life. Boasting memberships into the tens of thousands and meeting within both adorned walls and refurbished warehouse buildings, these contemporary fruits of the Civil Rights Movement hold many of the resources necessary to address America's contemporary social disparities. After studying nearly 150 black megachurches, Tamelyn N. Tucker-Worgs asks, How are these church communities engaging the public sphere? And, why are their approaches so varied?

The Black Megachurch sets aside the broad assumptions usually applied to the study of black churches and analyzes the three factors most necessary for social engagement--theological orientation, organization of community development initiatives, and gender-based spheres of labor and leadership. In doing so, Tucker-Worgs underscores the myriad ways in which black megachurches have responded to the changing social climate and concludes that while some have lived up to their potential, others have a long way to go.

"Tucker-Worgs advances a progressive framework for evaluating the impact of black megachurches while providing one of the most comprehensive profiles of these churches available to date."

--R. Drew Smith, Director, Center for the Church and the Black Experience, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary